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Saturday was a good beer day- Big Al Brewing Co. for a sampler: Tripple, Alt Bier, Abbey Wheat, Smoked Porter and the IPA were all very tasty. The Alt Bier and Abbey Wheat stood out among the crowd. We stopped at Cask in West Seattle, a new wine/beer bar that opened just 5 weeks ago. The owner offers a “to-go” section that focuses on imports. We stayed for just one, Fremont Brewing Co.’s Interurban IPA dry hopped with Cascade hops, Lime, Orange and Grapefruit zest. Damn good. Porter House– just across the street has about 12-15 beers on tap- Pliny the Elder was up for grabs but I went with this new brewery- North Sound Brewing. Both their Stout (classic dry Irish stout served on Nitro) and their IPA were stellar. A night in was filled with IPAs- 7 Seas Ballz Deep Double IPA (in a tall boy can) and an IPA from Yakima Craft Brewing Co. But now for your week in beer:

Nemsis, Founders’ Barley Wine is out and available tonight! Stop by and if you get your hands on this, please report back to bb.com. Look for this beer at your local beer bar – you lucky people that live in the mid-west or north east!

Get schooled on hops and yeast! The Ginger Man will be featuring Mikkeller’s Single Hop Series and their Yeast Series. The beers in the Single Hop Series use a control recipe with a different hop in each brew, showcasing the flavors and aromas of one variety of hop. Same rules for the Yeast Series, this time with varying yeast strands. The Single Hop Series will be on draught and the Yeast Series will be in bottle format.

Tonight- 15 beers…15 different styles….including Rochfort 8 & 10, Orval, Duvel, and many more. There will also be a special something from De Struise. This event is free, but Bogie’s is asking for a $5.00 donation. All proceeds will be donated to MCPCA Walk for the Animals.

The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whisky barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. The Little Woody 2010 will encompass two days-September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm on the lawn of the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend. Admission to the event includes a commemorative glass. A tasting package is available and includes a commemorative glass and tasting tickets. For more information click here.

Annual national moving bike festival put on by hometown heroes New Belgium. Featuring bands, good people, good brews and a damn good reason to get silly! Bring a bike and a funky costume for maximum enjoyment. For more info, click here.

Iowa microbrews are getting some love today- Come down to the brewery and taste the best beers that Iowa has to offer and meet the brewers who make these great brews as they serve you. Live music, local food will also be part of the event! Proceeds go the the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation and Iowa Brewers Guild.

So thats your week in beer. If you go to an event, want us to post about an event, please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com! Cheers!

I love the feeling, the moment right after you pay and receive your tokens. You cross the threshold into an adult playground and all you can see is tent after tent full of delicious micro- beverages. You grab the map, engaged in a lengthy discussion about your top choices. Its thrilling and always a damn good time.

This year has just as much potential as last. The Washington Brewers Fest is held Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20 about 20 minutes outside of Seattle in Kenmore, WA. Check out all of the details here….no here.

This festival not only celebrates Washington brewers and their passion and innovation, but features several stellar breweries from around the country. Check back with beerblotter.com for Timperial Stout’s preview for the 2010 Washington Brewers Festival. But in the meantime, to wet your pallet, Black Raven Brewing (coconut porter, what?!?!?!?), Lazy Boy Brewing (Oscuro Con Chiles- chile infused porter- who?!?!?!?), New Belgium Brewing Co (Trip VI, a collaboration with local brewery, Elysian Brewing Co.), Goose Island (Matilda, a Belgium style ale and I can’t believe it is being poured- GET THIS!).

See you there! And look forward to a full preview from bb.com this week!

Prior to living in Seattle, New Orleans is where I called home. I think it is safe to say that New Orleans is one of the least environmentally conscious of the larger American cities.

In all fairness to this wonderful city, while I was living there (2005-2007), she was going through a rough patch…to say the least. Now, after living in Seattle for three years, I have embraced the green way of life (well, green for me anyway). I don’t own a car; that is right, I bike and bus it EVERYWHERE.

The thought of placing a glass bottle or can in the garbage makes me ill and I even have thoughts of composting…its a journey, not a destination, OK!

In honor of Earth Day which is this Thursday, April 22, I present to you an article focusing on not only those environmentally conscious breweries but what you can do and drink to celebrate our lovely planet. Right away, New Belgium Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO), Fremont Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA) and 21st Amendment Brewing Co. (San Fransisco, CA) come to mind.

New Belgium aims to reduce their carbon footprint by 25% by utilizing various methods before, during and after the brewing process. For example, New Belgium invested in a more efficient brew kettle called Steinecker’s Merlin. This brew kettle is deemed more efficient than standard brew kettles because it heats thin sheets of wort rather than the whole kettle at once. Going above and beyond, in 1999, New Belgium became the largest private consumer of wind-power electricity at that time and the first wind-powered brewery.

Throughout the brewery, green building practices have been implemented. From their website:

Lighting. We take full advantage of the more than 360 days of sunshine in Fort Collins by using UV blocking windows, sun-tubes, and light shelves.

HVAC. Using evaporative coolers, we can condition our 55,000 square foot packaging hall with no compressors, using much less energy.

Materials. In our new packaging hall, the interior wood is beetle kill pine. Summit County, CO, anticipates that mountain pine beetles will kill 98% of their lodgepole pines. So, we’re giving these fallen trees another life.

New Belgium is a model business and an amazing brewery. So next time you drink a Ranger IPA or a Love, remember its all for the good of the planet. How’s that for justified drinking?

Moving right along to 21st Amendment, home of beer in a can. Microbrews in a can?!?!?!?!? Yes sir and its a growing trend. 21st brews three beers that call the can home: Brew Free or Die IPA, Hell or High Watermelon and the newest of the bunch, Monk’s Blood. Just to throw some numbers your way, we are going to look at the environmental impact of packaging your beer in a can v. a bottle.

To package beer in glass bottles, you are using more than twice the amount of H2O compared to a can. In the end, the energy savings that accumulate when you recycle a ton of aluminum are far greater than they are for glass—96 percent vs. a mere 26.5 percent. 21st Amendment dares to be different and we applaud you for that!

Now we come full circle to Fremont Brewing Co. in Seattle, WA. Currently, Fremont does not bottle or package their beers, so you have to stop by the brewery for a tasty pint or to fill a growler.

On that note, (although I am unsure of Fremont’s future plans of distribution) draught beer’s environmental impact can be 68% lower than bottled beer, due to packaging differences. Although picking up a six pack is generally more convenient, using recycled containers is better for the environment (shout out to Georgetown Brewing Co. who also does not bottle/package their beers).

Fremont Brewing Co. uses all organic, local ingredients and used brewing equipment. They also focus on energy conservation through increasing natural light through expanded windows and the placement of white walls; exchanging 400 watt halide lights to fluorescent lighting reducing consumption by approximately 50%; and utilizing processed heat waste (from the equipment) to heat the space, instead of using gas blowers.

For more information of how Fremont Brewing is saving our ever endangered environment while brewing delicious beer, click here!

So what to do on Thursday April 22, 2010 to celebrate beer? Indulge in a beer from an environmentally conscious brewery; fill a growler instead of buying bottles; drink in the dark with the help of some candles and think about what you can do to help save the environment!

Events to consider for Earth Day?

Join Beermongers in Portland, OR for their Earth Day Party! They will have information about and examples of Tropical Salvage furniture including our new bar. Information about re-usable bottles such as Captured by Porches, and cans such as Fearless will be provided. New Belgium will host a special tasting event from 4pm to 6pm including a unique draft beer and Free samples.

OR

Stop by Hop Cat in Grand Rapids, Michigan at 8PM for their Lights Out Party where you can enjoy beers by candlelight. environmentally friendly AND romantic!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!

NOTE: Home brewing can reduce the environmental impact of beer via less packaging and transportation! Do it.